Odisha: Nalco dedicates three projects on its foundation day

BHUBANESWAR: Three projects of the National Aluminium Company Limited (Nalco), a central public sector enterprise, were dedicated to the nation on Friday on the occasion of its 38th foundation day.

The projects were- south block bauxite mines at Panchpatmali in Koraput district, 18.5 MW turbo generator inside the alumina refinery at Damanjodi in the district and nanotechnology-based Defluoridation plant at Angul. All these projects will create additional jobs for around 500 people, company sources said.

The south block mines spread over 528 hectare area at Panchpatmali has 80 million tonne bauxite deposit. Nalco will extract 3.15 million tonne per annum till it gets exhausted. The company has already started work from December. It will provide employment to more than 400 people, said a senior Nalco official.

The 18.5 megawatt (MW) turbo generator inside the alumina refinery at Damanjodi will supply additional power to the plant at Damanjodi. It will use steam of the refinery to produce power. Around Rs 43 crore has been spent for this project, said the company sources.

The company has set up a defluoridation plant at the cost of around Rs 17 crore in the premises of the smelter plant in Angul district. Defluoridation is a process of removing excess fluoride from water. The smelter plant generates fluoride-mixed effluent water from its smelter. It treats the fluoride-mixed effluent before it is used for washing, gardening and other purposes. It is first-of-its kind plant in the world using nanotechnology, claimed the company.

Besides, the company signed memorandum of understanding with the National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC) to set up a centre of excellence ‘Institute of Skill Development’ at Gothpatna near Bhubaneswar to provide skill development training to youths of the state. It has targeted to train 15,000 youths in two years, said Nalco CMD Tapan Kumar Chand.

“Around Rs 50 crore will be spent for the centre. It will impart training to the employable youth to make them industry-ready,” said Union skill development minister Dharmendra Pradhan in a video message.

Chand said they have lined up several projects in the state for growth of the company. “Projects worth more than Rs 20,000 crore are under pipeline. The state will get benefit out of all these projects. It will create more jobs,” said Chand.

He said there is a 94 per cent growth in net profits of the company in second quarter of 2017-18. Net sales turnover has jumped 30 per cent to Rs 4,179 crore in first half of 2017-18 from Rs 3,224 crore of previous year. Company’s share price has gone up by 31.7 per cent during 2017.

The company gave Lifetime Achievement award to noted Odia singer Prafulla Kar and felicitated noted classical flautist Hariprasad Chaurasia on its foundation day.